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omockler · 04-29-2012, 07:57 PM

I started a quad a couple weeks ago that seems like it has stalled out. Its been stuck at about 1.050 for about a week now. I was going to try pitching some neutral yeast to get it going again but then i started thinking about the smack pack of roeselare i have in my fridge. Do you guys think that would make a decent combo? I was also wondering if my 63* basement would bee too cold for the brett and bugs?

**passedpawn** · 04-29-2012, 08:23 PM

The bacteria in that smack pack might not do well above 8%. At least that's the popular wisdom. Were you thinking about converting it so a sour brown?

I think you'd be better served just adding brett and foregoing the bacteria. Buy a beer that has brett in it and pitch the dregs. Then give it a couple of months.

There are some things you could try to bring that FG down, but I'll not go there since it wasn't your question.

Calder · 04-30-2012, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by passedpawn

The bacteria in that smack pack might not do well above 8%.

I think you'd be better served just adding brett and foregoing the bacteria. Buy a beer that has brett in it and pitch the dregs. Then give it a couple of months.

From what I have read, the Pedio and Lacto do not do well above 8%, so would not get much souring.

Brett is good to about 18% abv, but I suspect it will take much longer than 2 months to do it's work.

ploppythesausage · 04-30-2012, 11:57 AM

Mikkeller does a sour quad called Sur Monk. I've never had it - it seems to be a quad with cherry lambic added but reviews seem to indicate it is a full on sour as opposed to a quad with sour notes.

mlg5039 · 04-30-2012, 01:52 PM

I think your 63* basement may have stalled out your yeast too. Warm that baby up!! Agitate or repitch.

omockler · 04-30-2012, 02:39 PM

Thanks for the info guys! Since it seems like I won't get much use of the bugs with a beer already that high in alcohol I will probably just agitate and throw a heating blanket on it to see if that can finish it off. If not I might try some brett and a couple months of aging.

ssf · 04-30-2012, 09:57 PM

I successfully fermented a sour quad that finished at over 11% abv, but I pitched the bugs during the start of primary fermentation and waited a year before bottling/kegging. the beer wasn't sour six months in, which leads me to believe that the significant sourness was contributed by pedio or an aggressive lacto strain (I have heard lacto peters out around 7-8%, but haven't heard the same for pedio). I used white labs sour mix, roselare, WLP500, and bottle dregs from lost abbey's cuvee de tomme (another sour quad).

I have also had luck souring a golden strong that was at 1.02/7% abv before adding bugs - it developed a pellicle but didn't sour as much as the quad. I would recommend rolling the dice, pitching your roselare pack and forgetting about your beer for a year if possible - good luck!

nasa258e · 05-01-2012, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ploppythesausage

Mikkeller does a sour quad called Sur Monk. I've never had it - it seems to be a quad with cherry lambic added but reviews seem to indicate it is a full on sour as opposed to a quad with sour notes.

Same with lost abbey's cuvee de tomme

LordUlrich · 05-03-2012, 08:34 PM

My experience with Belgians is they tend to stall for a while and then magical pick up again a week or two later. Agitation is probably your best bet, but avoid letting fresh air in, or you risk excessive oxygen pickup. Otherwise try a fresh active starter of clean ale yeast....or perhaps lager yeast, lager yeast can eat more complex sugars than ale yeast, that might be part of the problem.

**Bsquared** · 05-03-2012, 09:42 PM

I've had a quad going for 2 years now that was fermented with WLP530 and then added the white labs sour blend, it started at 1.090 and is at 1.004 now. It took about 18 months to sour at a constant temp of 68ºF. Its nice and tart now, I'm plan on bottling it in the next few months.

Be patient it will happen.